First week of stronglifts, Last week of stronglifts page 4

[jfreaksho]

Start running like a mad man if you're going to the military. Unless you're going navy, then no worries.

As far as the Army goes, I'd say it's more important for him to learn good running form than to bother with a lot of running.

Basic military training is designed to take fat lazy civilians and turn them into soldiers in 9 weeks. Trust the program, and you'll make it through. The people that didn't make it, in my experience, were mentally unable to handle the training, or got injured.

Learning good running form will help prevent injury, because no matter what, they are going to push you pretty hard.

[Owly]

I don't mean to butt in, but I've been doing stronglifts for about half a year now, and I've gotten great results so far - with my legs. I can squat at least my body weight (I'm not sure what my max is) and my last max deadlift was 250. On the other hand, I'm still using little more than the bar for push presses, and my max bench is only 90. I'm not sure if it's because, as a woman, it's more difficult for me to build upper body strength, or if I'm doing something wrong. What do you think?

What's your body weight? A 90 pound bench is fairly respectable for a mid-sized adult woman--not competition level by any means, but decent for someone who's been training for 6 months. We just don't gain upper body strength like men do. You can get strong, but it takes work, and you're generally not going to be able to compare yourself to a man at the same body weight and training level.

For a bit of an idea of women's ranges vs men's based on Rippetoe's standards:

Weightlifting Performance Standards

Note that the "elite" level in these is basically competitive lifting level but not elite-level competitive powerlifting (those people lift a whole lot more). It's elite compared to the average recreational lifter. Also, although the exrx site puts training time periods along with the categories, of course YMMV. Some people are naturally more gifted at lifting, you'll be better at some lifts than others, age plays a role, etc. But it at least gives you a ballpark.

[Kata]

What's your body weight? A 90 pound bench is fairly respectable for a mid-sized adult woman--not competition level by any means, but decent for someone who's been training for 6 months. We just don't gain upper body strength like men do. You can get strong, but it takes work, and you're generally not going to be able to compare yourself to a man at the same body weight and training level.

I'm 178 lbs and 6'0 - not exactly mid-sized. I've also been lifting for over a year, although the bench presses are a recent addition, since I switched from The New Rules of Lifting to StrongLifts. So, I had a bit of a head start, which makes me think I ought to be making better progress. My mom is much shorter than me and her bench puts me to shame!

[Kristin5]

Squats help to build legs muscles (including quadriceps, and calves), but they also create an anabolic environment

[Kristin5]

Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments and connective tissues, which squats help strengthen. They also help prevent injury by improving body flexibility.

[Owly]

I'm 178 lbs and 6'0 - not exactly mid-sized. I've also been lifting for over a year, although the bench presses are a recent addition, since I switched from The New Rules of Lifting to StrongLifts. So, I had a bit of a head start, which makes me think I ought to be making better progress. My mom is much shorter than me and her bench puts me to shame!

How long ago did you start doing bench? Being strong in your other lifts won't necessarily transfer. I know bench is where I've lagged because coming from Crossfit, I haven't done it as much as the others. Also, some people are better at some lifts than others, and being tall isn't always an advantage when it comes to lifting.

Also, bench is just one of those lifts where women won't progress as fast on average as men, so if you're looking at how much you should be gaining by looking at a training program that doesn't address that, you may be holding yourself up to an impossible standard.

I know my partner was surprised when I showed him the world records for men and women on bench. For a woman my size, the world record is 292 pounds (less than 2x bodyweight), but for a man the same size, the record is 435 (nearly 3x).

What I'm saying is, work hard, do your program, and try to improve your bench for sure. But don't get too hard on yourself if you're not throwing 45s on the bar tomorrow like the dude on the bench next to you. You will for sure get there at your size, but it might take more time than a guy the same size. It sucks, but there it is. Nothing to do but keep training and learning.

[Kata]

Sometimes being a woman is frustrating.

[Extreme Health Radio]

I got the 5x5 workout from his website and did it for a while myself. I gave up because the workouts became too intense. How can I keep lifting on the uprright shoulder press? My back became an accordion on squats. I got the form down but just burnt out. I like you do a modified 5x5 now and been loving it with amazing results.

[lator-illa]

i've made plenty of gains doing Joe Defranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards v.3.

If you need a change in program, I highly recommend it. I'm a big advocate.

Westside for Skinny Bastards, Part III - DeFranco's Training

[MyWar]

Wendler 5/3/1 forever